Seven Versts Before Dawn

Seven Versts Before Dawn (2026)

Семь вёрст до рассвета

In the early days of the Great Patriotic War old Kuzmich from the village of Kurakino guesses that a long war lies ahead. As the village falls under German occupation and repressions intensify, he keeps aloof, arousing suspicions. Following the execution of fellow villagers and accusations of betrayal, Kuzmich agrees to serve as a guide for the German detachment, ostensibly to get a horse and save his family. In reality, however, he is planning a sacrificial deception: through his grandson Vaska, he conveys information about the enemy's route to the Soviet troops. At the critical moment, Kuzmich leads the German mountain troopers into a trap, repeating the feat of Ivan Susanin. At the cost of his own life the old man leads the enemy to perdition, becoming a symbol of the people's resistance.

Date of release
2026-04-30
TMDB
4.7 / 10 (3)
Runtime
1h 42m
Genres
War, History, Drama
Director
Alexandr Andreev

Casting

Interesting facts

Seven Versts Before Dawn is a 2026 Russian WWII film directed by Alexandr Andreev, telling the story of the heroic deed of the oldest Hero of the Soviet Union, peasant Matvey Kuzmich Kuzmin, during the Great Patriotic War. The film is based on the story The Last Day of Matvey Kuzmin by Boris Polevoy.

Production

The film was produced by the Reka film studio with the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Rostec state corporation, the Rosgosstrakh insurance company, and the Government of the Pskov Oblast.

The screenplay, co-written by Natalia Shumak and Andreev, is based on the true story of Matvey Kuzmich Kuzmin, a character written by Boris Nikolayevich Polevoy. The film is timed to coincide with Victory Day celebrations.

Filming took place from November 2024 to 2025 in the region of Pskov Oblast. The main filming locations were in the town of Velikiye Luki, Pskov Oblast. Specifically, the "Doctor's House," which belonged to a zemstvo hospital in the early 20th century, was converted into a German commandant's office.

The village of Kurakino in the film is depicted by another village, Busulaevo, Nevelsky District, Pskov Oblast, Russia. The houses where the protagonist and his neighbors live were specially rebuilt. The filmmakers also built a road, planted vegetable gardens, brought in pets, and even installed a beehive.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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